Hymns for Christian Devotion Part 164

On Occasion of a Destructive Fire.

1 Eternal G.o.d, our humbled souls Before thy presence bow; With all thy wasting magazines, How terrible art thou!

2 The flames thy messengers become, And their destruction pour, And that which we in strength had reared Lies mouldered in an hour.

3 Within our pleasant places, Lord, Destruction rears its head, And blackened walls and smoking heaps Along our streets are spread.

4 Lord, in this hour we come to thee, With awe adore thy name; Yet bless the hand of guardian love, That s.n.a.t.c.hed us from the flame.

994. C. M. E. H. Chapin.

During or after a Great Storm.

1 Amid surrounding gloom and waste, From nature's face we flee; And in our fear and wonder haste O nature's life, to thee!

Thy ways are in the mighty deep; In tempests as they blow; In floods that o'er our treasures sweep; The lightning; and the snow.

2 Though earth upon its axis reels, And heaven is veiled in wrath; Not one of nature's million wheels Breaks its appointed path; Fixed in thy grasp, the sources meet Of beauty and of awe; In storm or calm, all pulses beat True to the central law.

3 Thou art that law, whose will thus done In seeming wreck and blight, Sends the calm planets round the sun, And pours the moon's soft light.

We trust thy love; thou best dost know The universal peace; How long the stormy force should blow, And when the flood should cease.

4 And though around our path some form Of mystery ever lies, And life is like the calm and storm That checker earth and skies, Through all its mingling joy and dread, Permit us, Holy One, By faith to see the golden thread Of thy great purpose run.

995. C. M. Addison.

The Traveller's Hymn.

1 How are thy servants blest, O Lord!

How sure is their defence!

Eternal wisdom is their guide, Their help omnipotence.

2 In foreign realms, and lands remote, Supported by thy care, They pa.s.s unhurt through burning climes, And breathe in tainted air.

3 Thy mercy sweetens every soil, Makes every region please; The h.o.a.ry, frozen hills it warms, And smooths the boisterous seas.

4 In midst of dangers, fears, and death, Thy goodness I'll adore, And praise thee for thy mercies past, And humbly hope for more.

996. L. M. H. Bacon.

Influence of Christian Woman. Matt. 26:13.

1 "Where'er my Gospel is proclaimed, Through the long ages yet to be, There shall this deed of love be named Which she this hour hath done for me."

2 Lord, while our eyes on Mary rest, And see the precious perfume poured, With thrilling power our thoughts invest The sacred record of thy word.

3 We bring to G.o.d, in thy dear name, The tribute of our grateful praise.

For many a deed, unknown to fame, Where woman her true homage pays.

4 The wife, the mother, sister, friend,-- All holy may her influence be!

The sweetness of her kindness blend With Temperance, Truth, and Charity.

5 Oh not a work is wrought in vain Where love like Mary's fills the heart; Memorials of that love remain, A sacred influence to impart.

997. 8s. & 7s. M. J. G. Adams.

"She hath done what she could." Mark 14:8.

1 Bless, O bless, Almighty Father, Woman's mission with our race,-- Her fond strivings here to gather Fruits of thy redeeming grace.

2 Though her way be not where honor Wins the gazing world's acclaim, Yet we bless thee that upon her Rests the power of Jesus' name.

3 In that name, O Father, strengthen Her full heart and ready hands; May her efforts serve to lengthen Christian love's encircling bands.

4 Where the mourning and the needy And the suffering faint and die, Be her presence sure and speedy, Mercy's blessings to supply.

5 Where old error's words are spoken, Be truth's witness by her given, Till, the spell of bondage broken, Earth redeemed resembles heaven.

998. C. M. Barton.

"Walk in the Light."

1 Walk in the light! so shalt thou know That fellowship of love, His Spirit only can bestow, Who reigns in light above.

2 Walk in the light! and thou shalt own Thy darkness pa.s.sed away, Because that light hath on thee shone In which is perfect day.

3 Walk in the light! and e'en the tomb No fearful shade shall wear; Glory shall chase away its gloom, For Christ hath conquered there!